Caribbean Crusades
by labelbasher
Summary: COMPLETED...Reposted due to unpredicted deleting... What happens when a girl as crazy, as funny and loves rum just as much as Jack tags along with their adventure. How would everone cope?
1. A New Beginning

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Caribbean Crusades

Chapter 1

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Reposting again, because the story got deleted, because someone reported it to ff.net, saying that I'd copied it off someone. I was so bloody mad, because IS MY OWN WORK and I worked hard on it. And I tell you that if I ever find out who did that, I'm hiring a hit man… I wasn't going to post it again, but I decided that those who did read it and enjoyed it deserved to read the ending.

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Just to let you guys know, I'm reposting all these first chapters, adding in bits and pieces, and rewriting some of Sam's lines and things because I've had comments that Sam talks too modern for her time. If you've already read these chapters, I suggest that you read them again, because quite a lot of things will be changed.

Hi peoples…I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and write a POTC story. I don't really know what to say about the story, except to READ IT. Heh heh. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

One more thing…ORLANDO BLOOM IS IN MY COUNTRY AT THE MOMENT!!! He's here for the LOTR premiere in Wellington. (I'm from New Zealand if you haven't guessed yet). Yes, I'm the crazy Orlando fan who writes stories mainly about Jack Sparrow…

I'm gonna stop blabbing now and you can read the story.

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"Will!" I yelled as I opened the door to the blacksmiths, where I knew he'd be. He hardly ever leaves the damn place.

I spotted him over by the fire, heating something in the hot coals.

"Will, it's time for my lesson!" I yelled. I was always excited when it came to sword fighting. My parents forbade it, but I still have been learning off Will for the past 3 years. He even made me my own sword, which I keep at the blacksmiths, so my parents don't find it.

I hate all that girly stuff that they make me do. Honestly, what use do I have with dresses and decorum and formal dinners? I would rather spend my time on the beach, better still, at sea. I've always been fascinated by the sea and…don't tell my parents…pirates. I get so annoyed with them, because I am 21 now, and I should be able to do what I want.

"Just let me finish what I'm doing, Sam." Will said, "I'll be ready in a second."

I took the time to wander around the workshop. Brown was sleeping, as usual. I swear, he must come to work just to get drunk and sleep. Goodness knows what his wife thinks of it, if she knows. I looked around at Will's swords. They were all perfectly balanced and exquisitely made.

I fetched my sword off the hook on the wall and unsheathed it. Will had recently sharpened it, and it was ready to use.

I pulled it back in an attacking stance.

"En guarde!" I said to my imaginary opponent. I thrust the sword forward and practised parrying and defensive blows.

I didn't realise that Will was watching me until I stopped to catch my breath.

"Your footwork's improved, but you need to shorten your swing. Wide swings and showy moves take up too much time and effort."

I nodded and performed the exercise again, as Will had instructed as he watched carefully.

"Very good." He said, picking up his sword. "Now, how about a little one-on-one?"

We fought until we could fight no more.

"You've definitely improved" Will said.

"Thanks" I said. I looked out the window and I saw the sun setting over the water. "I must be getting home now. Bye, Will!"

I ran home, cutting through yards on the way, until I reached our big whitewashed house. My father is involved in politics and we're one of the richest families in Port Royale.

I opened the front door quietly and slipped inside, tip-toeing towards the stairs.

"Hold it there, Samantha." My mother's stern voice said.

I cringed and froze just as she said.

"Don't be silly. Honestly, I should think that you were still a child the way you behave sometimes, Samantha. Turn around and look at me."

I did as she said.

"Where have you been?"

"Out"

"Why are you so grubby?"

I looked myself over in mock surprise.

"I am?"

My mother sighed, probably sick of my antics.

"Go upstairs and bathe, and change out of those ridiculous clothes."

I stomped up the stairs, wishing that I were somewhere else…anywhere but here.

In the bathroom, the bath was already filled with hot water, so I stripped off and started washing myself.

Marianna, our maid, brought in a clean change of clothes for me halfway through my bath. Ugh, must have been my mother's choice. It was a pink dress. Honestly, you'd think she would've gotten a clue years ago. I'm not six!

"Your mother said that you have to dress up nicely today because you will be having guests for dinner." Marianna explained.

I grimaced. "If I have to. But do you think you could find a better dress for me…preferably something not pink."

Marianna smiled. She knew how much I hated dressing up. She went out and fetched me a plainer dress in a dark blue colour. Much better.

I dressed and let Marianna pin my hair up elegantly before making my way back downstairs.

Mother looked me over and smiled. "There, now you look like a lady."

I slouched down on the chair. "Lady…idiot…same thing." I muttered under my breath. Fortunately mother didn't hear.

The doorbell rang and the butler headed for the door.

"Stand up, Samantha." Mother said under her breath. "Shoulders back, backside in, stomach in, head erect." She chanted, the same as so many times before.

The butler led our company into the lounge. It was one of my father's politician friends, James Kingley, accompanied by his wife and son, Henry. My parents had been dropping hints over the past few months that I should perhaps consider marriage to a fine young man. They'd been dropping Henry's name into conversation a lot, so I assumed that this dinner was not just planned for a friendly get-together. I could tell that this was going to be a very long night.

As I predicted, the night was very boring and passed very slowly. I was under constant scrutiny by both my parents and Henry's parents. Probably seeing if I'd make a good wife for their precious son. To tell you the truth, I think Henry is the most boring person I know. I've known him for most of my life, and he never does much more than eat and sleep.

I was very grateful by the time the company left and I could get out of this wretched dress and into something more comfortable. My legs were covered in red marks where I'd pinched myself continuously in an effort to avoid falling asleep in my dinner. Grateful that the evening had ended, I went to bed and dreamed of a life more exciting.

The next day, I made my way down the docks, which was my favourite place in the whole of Port Royale. I loved to sit on the bridge and watch the boats come in. It was pretty quiet today though, most likely cause it was Norrington's ceremony. Commodore Norrington, he was to be. Ugh, as if he isn't already up himself as it is. I was supposed to go to the ceremony, but managed to convince my parents that it would still be the same, whether I was there or not. Begrudgingly, they granted me permission to spend the day down by the docks. So, here I am, back in my favourite clothes, barefoot, sitting in my favourite spot on the side of the bridge, swinging my feet about in the air. This was my favourite place to go and I couldn't tell you of anything else that made me feel more free.

I watched the children fishing off the edge of the dock. I loved watching them fish, they'd get so excited when they caught something. It brought back memories of my own childhood, I used to fish with my friends everyday. We'd since grown out of that, and moved on to more important things. I missed it though.

My attention, however, was taken off the children fishing when I saw the strangest sight I'd seen in a long time. A strange-looking man riding into the dock, standing on the mast of his boat. Now that wouldn't be so strange if his boat hadn't been sinking at the same time. He got to the dock just in time and he calmly stepped off and sauntered up the dock, where he was stopped by the harbormaster.

I was fascinated by this man. I swiveled around and jumped off the ledge, back onto the bridge and picked up my boots, deciding that I was going to find out who he was.

I ran barefoot down to the harbormaster when the man had gone. "Who was that?" I asked.

"Who?"

I rolled my eyes. Who else? "The funny-looking guy with the dark hair. That's his boat." I said, pointing at the mast sticking out of the water.

"Oh." The harbormaster said. "He didn't give his name."

Hmmm, that makes things even more interesting. "Thank you." I said, and I ran off up the beach where Mr Nobody went.

I spied him watching the two idiots guarding the restricted dock from behind a tree. Murtogg and Mullroy. They always make me laugh.

I walked up to him quietly and stood beside him, waiting for him to notice me. It's a little thing I like doing. It's fun shocking people.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" I asked.

I was disappointed. He didn't even jump. He just turned around and grinned at me.

"Well, hello, luv." He greeted. "And who might you be?"

"Samantha. But please call me Sam. Pleased to meet you." I said, holding out my hand for him to shake, but instead he picked it up and kissed it.

"So gentlemanly of you. Now I believe you owe me your name."

He took off his hat and held it to his chest as he did a fancy bow. "The name's Jack. Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Captain Jack Sparrow? _The_ Captain Jack Sparrow."

"In the flesh, luv."

"You'd better watch your back. Damn Norrington's got this thing against pirates, and he's going to be extra stuck-up and on the prowl now that he's been promoted to Commodore."

"Thanks for the warnin', luv. Now if you'll excuse me." He swayed off down the dock and I could see him mocking the two idiots down there. Heh heh, they deserve it.

Jack sneaked on the boat after he got the two arguing between themselves, and was standing at the wheel, pretending to steer the thing.

The two bozos finally figured out that he'd tricked them, and they rushed onto the boat to confront him. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could see Jack waving his hands around a lot. All the stories I'd heard about him made him seem like this brilliant, deadly pirate, but here, in the flesh, as he'd so elegantly put it, he seemed like a total goofball.

Something caught my eye and I noticed someone falling from the battlements into the water. Wondering who it was, I ran up to the nearby dock, where I saw Jack execute a perfect dive into the water from the ship and rescue the governor's daughter, Elizabeth.

He swam over to the ladder and Murtogg helped pull her onto the dock. We all crowded around her.

"Not breathing!" Murtogg panicked.

Not fussed, Jack pulled out his knife and cut the strings to Elizabeth's tight corset, causing her to cough up water and gasp in air.

I stood by feeling rather helpless. I had no idea what to do.

"Never would have thought of that," Mullroy said.

"Clearly you've never been to Singapore." Jack said. Then he spotted a medallion on a chain around Elizabeth's neck. He picked it up and looked at it, eyes wide. "Where did you get that?"

Elizabeth didn't get a chance to answer, because a sword suddenly appeared dangerously close to Jack's neck.

"On your feet." Norrington's stern voice commanded.

Jack rose to his feet and Governor Swann helped Elizabeth up and wrapped her in a blanket. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Elizabeth answered.

Swann looked over at Murtogg, who had ended up holding Elizabeth's ruined corset. Murtogg discretely pointed at Jack. "Shoot him."

"Father! Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?" Elizabeth protested.

"I believe thanks are in order." Norrington said, holding out his hand for Jack to shake. Jack hesitantly shook Norrington's hand. Norrington gripped Jack's hand and pulled up his shirtsleeve, revealing a P for Pirate. Jack cringed. "Had a brush with the East India Trading company, did we, pirate?"

"Hang him." Swann commanded.

"Keep your guns on him, men. Gillette, fetch some irons." Norrington pulled up Jack's sleeve more, revealing a tattoo of a sparrow in flight. "Well, well… Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"

"Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir." Jack corrected.

"Well, I don't see your ship…Captain" Norrington mocked.

"I'm in the market, as it were." Jack replied, unfazed by Norrington.

"He said he'd come to commandeer one" Murtogg piped up.

"Told ya he was telling the truth. These are his, sir." Mullroy said, handing Norrington Jack's effects.

Norrington picked up Jack's pistol and inspected it. Jack looked worried at this, and looked like he might snatch it away from Norrington. 

"No additional shots nor powder. A compass that doesn't point north." He unsheathed the sword. "And I half expected it to be made of wood. You are, without doubt, the worst pirate I've ever heard of."

"But you have heard of me." Jack said, grinning.

"Commodore, I really must protest." Elizabeth said. "Pirate or not this man saved my life."

"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness." Norrington said.

I knew he'd be acting all high-and-mighty now that he got promoted. Bloody Norrington.

"Though it seems enough to condemn him." Jack retorted.

"Indeed." Norrington said.

Gillette moved away from Jack a bit, who took the opportunity to throw his chains around Elizabeth's neck. "Finally." He said.

"Don't shoot!" Governor Swann panicked.

"I knew you'd warm up to me. Commodore Norrington, my effects, please, and my hat." Norrington hesitated. "Commodore!" Jack prompted. Norrington passed Jack's effects to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth. It is Elizabeth isn't it?"

"It's Miss Swann." Elizabeth replied, annoyed.

"Miss Swann, if you'd be so kind. Come, come, dear, we don't have all day. Now if you'd be very kind. Easy on the goods, darling." Jack said, grinning at the Commodore, knowing that he was helpless.

"You're despicable."

"Sticks and stones, luv. I saved your life, you saved mine, we're square. Gentlemen, m'lady, you will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!"

Jack grabbed hold of a piece of rope, which swung him high up into the air. Seeing as I'd been standing here for about 5 minutes doing nothing, I decided to help him, and do what I've always wanted to do, all in one go. Push Norrington in the water. I turned around and gave him a good push and he fell off the dock and splashed into the water. He came up again, spluttering, frowning at me. I shrugged and smiled sweetly. His men were divided, they didn't know whether to help him back onto the dock, keep shooting at Jack or apprehend me.

Deciding that this might be a good time for my own exit, I ran off after Jack.

I caught up with him as he was running across the bridge. Even as he ran, he looked funny, with arms outstretched in front of him.

"Jack!" I called, catching up with him. "Follow me!" I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down an alleyway, leading him through a maze of streets to the back door of the blacksmiths.

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Well…I hope you liked that. Review it if you want. I'm just going to say now that I don't care about reviews, I'm gonna post no matter what cause I've already finished the story. Although, in saying that, reviews are always appreciated… =)

Last note: it may start out slow, but it definitely gets better as it goes along.

~Rhi =) 


	2. We'll Have a Smashing Time

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Caribbean Crusades

Chapter 2

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Hey, it's me again. Thank you to all those who read my last chapter. I decided to post this chapter to give you guys something more to read, cause I know a story's kind of boring with only one chapter to read.

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I slowly pushed the back door to the blacksmiths open.

"Will?" I called. "Will, are you here?" I got no answer.

I motioned for Jack to come in and he headed over towards the anvil, picking up the hammer that was lying next to it.

That was when Brown dropped his whiskey bottle. Surprised, Jack twisted around to see what the noise was, and noticed Brown.

"Don't worry, he just sleeps all day." I said. "Here, gimme that." I grabbed the hammer and started bashing away at the cuffs with all my strength, but it wasn't enough.

Jack looked around the room and made his way over to some piece of blacksmiths' apparatus, the one attached to the donkey. Will once told me what it was for, but I forgot now.

Jack seemed to have a plan and he pulled a hot poker out of the fire and burned the donkey's butt. He broke the chains, leaving the ends of then on his wrists.

"Well, thankee for all your help, luv, but I really must be going now." Jack said, kissing me on the cheek as he turned to leave.

"Wait. I want to come with you." I said.

Jack looked at me incredulously. "Why would you be wantin' to do that?"

"Because I'm tired of living the life I'm living. I want to be a pirate."

"A pirate, luv?"

"A pirate. And I'm coming whether you like it or not." I said, grabbing my sword off the hook on the wall. I strapped the belt around my waist. "Okay, I'm ready, let's go."

I could see Jack rolling his eyes.

That was when the front door creaked open. Will was back.

"Hide." I hissed under my breath. Jack retreated quickly into the shadows.

"Sam?" he looked surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Err…waiting for you." I bluffed.

"Um, okay. If you'll wait a minute, I'll get my sword and practise with you." He made his way over to the anvil, where he spotted Jack's hat. "What's that doing here?" he mused under his breath. He reached for it, but was stopped by Jack's sword. Will pulled his hand back and turned and looked Jack in the face. "You're the one they're hunting. The pirate."

"Jack, you dumb idiot! What'd you do that for!" I yelled at him.

"Wait a minute. You know him?" Will asked me, looking horrified.

"So what if I do?" I retorted.

"You seem somewhat familiar. Have I threatened you before?" Jack cut in.

"I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates."

"Ah. Well, it'd be a shame to put a black mark on your record. If you'll excuse me." Jack turned to leave, but Will pulled out his own sword.

"Sam, get out of here." Will commanded.

"Nah uh. No way, this is too good." I said, folding my arms defiantly.

Will turned back to Jack. "You threatened Miss Swann."

Jack grinned. "Only a little."

I positioned myself on the bench behind me, sitting cross-legged, getting ready for a good show. Pirates were always good sword fighters, but I also knew Will's abilities. I was curious as to how this fight would pan out. 

They parried for a while.

"You know what you're doing, I'll give you that. Excellent form but how's your footwork? If I step here very good. Now I step again." Jack said, as he and Will continued fighting, but mirroring each other's footsteps. "Ta." Jack said, sheathing his sword and making for the door. He was just about to open the door when Will threw his sword, making it stick in the door, blocking Jack's escape. Jack's eyes widened at the close call and he grabbed the end of the sword, stopping it from wobbling. He unsuccessfully tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge.

"That is a wonderful trick except once again you are between me and my way out. And now you have no weapon." Jack said, advancing on Will again. Will pulled a sword out of the fire, and the tip was red-hot. Jack looked surprised and quickly started parrying Will's blows again.

"Who makes all these?" he asked.

"I do." Will said, parrying a blow. "And I practise with them three hours a day."

"You need to find yourself a girl, mate! Or, perhaps the reason you practice three hours a day is that you already found one and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet. You're not a eunuch, are you?" Jack said, looking down.

I laughed out loud, causing both of them to look at me. "He has found a girl, although he won't admit to anyone that he likes her." I piped up. Will frowned at me. "Sorry. Carry on." I motioned for them to keep fighting.

"I practice three hours a day, so that when I meet a pirate, I can kill it."

They both jumped on a cart, which see-sawed under them. Will hooked a knife into the remainder of the irons that were attached to Jack's left wrist and embedded it in the beam above. Jack hit a loose board, which threw Will off the cart.

I watched excitedly. I wasn't sure who I wanted to win. The guy who taught me how to sword fight and had been my friend for as long as I could remember or the mysterious pirate who I'd just met.

Jack swung his legs up and pushed against the roof to try and use his body weight to get the knife out of the roof. It did just that, and he fell back onto the cart just as Will jumped back on it, which sent Will flying into the rafters. Will, deciding that Jack deserved the same treatment, cut free a large sack, which vaulted Jack up into the rafters as well. They continued fighting as they jumped from beam to beam.

Okay, now they're just showing off, I thought, rolling my eyes.

Suddenly, Will knocked Jack's sword out of his hand, but Jack, never to be defeated, slit open a bag of sand and sprayed it all over Will, who threw his arms up over his face to protect his eyes. Jack pulled out his pistol, and pointed it at Will.

"You cheated!" Will protested.

"Pirate!" Jack explained.

The sounds of the redcoats trying to break open the door filled the workshop.

"Move away." Jack instructed Will, waving the pistol around.

"No." Will said stubbornly.

"Please move." Jack said, getting slightly panicked now.

"No! I cannot just step aside and let you escape."

"This shot is not meant for you." Jack said, before getting hit on the head by Brown with his empty whiskey bottle. Trust him to wake up now.

A still soggy Norrington and his band of merry men broke the door down and rushed in, seeing Jack and Brown with the broken bottle still in his hand.

"Excellent work, Mr. Brown. You've assisted in the capture of a dangerous fugitive." Norrington congratulated.

"Just doing my civic duty, sir." Brown slurred.

Civic duty, my foot.

"Well, I trust you'll always remember this as the day that Captain Jack Sparrow almost escaped. Take him away."

Bloody Norrington. He turned to me. "Samantha, I'm very disappointed in your behavior. I would have thought you were brought up better than this." I crossed my arms and didn't reply. He turned to his soldiers. "Take her away also. She deserves to spend the night in a cell for being in cahoots with the pirate."

Two redcoats grabbed me from either side and lifted me off the ground. I started kicking my feet about.

"Put me down, dammit! I can walk own my own thank you very much! Bloody Norrington!"

After dragging me down to the jail, I didn't make it easy for them, I must add, they locked me in the cell with the still unconscious Jack.

I sat on the outcropping, bored stiff until Jack woke up. He groaned and reached up to the back of his head and rubbed it.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." I said.

"What happened?" Jack asked, shuffling back so he was leaning against the wall.

"The normally comatose Mr Brown decided that he'd join the party in doing his 'civic duty' and do a little bit of headbanging with his empty whiskey bottle."

"You are very unlike any lass I've ever met." Jack commented.

"Good thing or bad thing?"

"Good thing. So how does a lass like yerself decide that she wants to throw herself in cahoots with a pirate?"

"Since she decided that she hated living the high life and became fascinated with pirates."

"What made her decide that?"

"Do we have to talk about me in third person?" I asked. Jack grinned and shook his head. "Well, imagine this. You would rather spend the day in comfortable clothes, at the beach or on a boat at sea, but your parents insist that you dress up in horrible dresses and you're stuck at formal dinners with boring people."

"Well, I don't know much what it's like to be wearing a horrible dress, and being stuck at formal dinners, but I know the sea, and I know freedom, so I can understand what yer sayin', luv."

"So, Jack, what about you? Why did you get into pirating?"

"Long story. Very long story."

"We've got a long time."

"Not me, luv. My hours are numbered." Jack said, but he didn't seem too unhappy about it. It was almost as if he knew that he'd get out somehow.

Not knowing what else to say, the conversation grew dead after that, and we sat in silence, listening to the prisoners in the other cell try and coax the dog to them.

"Come here, boy. Want a nice juicy bone? Come here. Come on."

"You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to move." Jack said.

"Oh, excuse us if we haven't resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet." One of the prisoners retorted.

We sat in silence for a while longer, then I heard the faint sounds of cannon fire.

"I know those guns." Jack said, he jumped up and looked out the window. "It's the Pearl."

One of the prisoners from the other cell pressed up against the bars. "Black Pearl? I've heard stories. She's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never leaves any survivors." He said with a small, scared voice.

Jack turned around and looked at the prisoner as if he was incredibly stupid. "No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?"

The prisoner seemed to think about this for a second.

Jack suddenly jumped down from the window and a second later a cannonball hit the stone wall and it crumbled, leaving a large hole in the other cell, and not even enough to fit a head through on our side.

The prisoners in the other cell crawled out. "My sympathies friends, you've no manner of luck at all." One of the prisoners said to us.

"So what are you going to do now?" I asked Jack, seeing as he acted as if he was the all-knowing one.

Jack didn't answer, and instead looked around the cell. He picked up a scrap of bone and stuck his hand through the bar. I rolled my eyes when I realised what he was going to do.

"It's been tried and failed, Jack." I said.

"Maybe so, but you forget. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" Jack said, grinning at me.

"How could I have forgotten?" I said sarcastically, hitting my forehead.

Jack turned to the dog and shoved his hand out between the bars, holding the bone. "Come on, doggy. It's just you and me now. It's you and ol' Jack, come on. Come on, good boy." Well, would you look at that, the dog started to inch closer. "That's it, good boy, come on! Bit closer, bit closer. That's it, that's it, doggy. Come on you filthy, slimy, mangy cad." There was a crash and the guard came rolling down the stairs. The dog ran off. "No, no, no, no, no, I didn't mean it. I didn't..."

Two ugly pirates stomped down the stairs.

"This ain't the armory!" stated one of them.

No, really? I couldn't tell.

The other one saw Jack, and advanced slowly towards the bars, taunting Jack. "Well, well, well, look what we have here, Twigg. It's Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Last time I saw you, you were all alone on a godforsaken island, shrinking into the distance. His fortunes aren't improved much." Twigg mocked.

"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen. The deepest circle of hell is reserved for mutineers and betrayers." Jack said, all calm and collected.

The pirate shot his hand through the bars and grabbed Jack's neck, revealing a skeleton arm in the moonlight. Whoa! I shuffled towards the back of the cell, getting as far away from the skeleton arm as I could. But I suppose you could never be too far away from a living skeleton. I pushed up against the wall. 

"You know nothing of hell" the pirate growled in a low voice.

"So there is a curse. That's interesting." Jack mused, seemingly not affected by the fact that he had a skeleton arm clutching his neck.

The pirate let go of Jack's neck, and then they left, stomping up the stairs, back where they came from.

"That's very interesting." Jack said, rubbing his chin.

"Jack?" I squeaked. Squeaked! I was very disappointed in my voice at that moment. I cleared my throat. "What was that? Is it just me, or was that a SKELETON arm that just grabbed your throat!?"

Jack grinned at me. Something I would have never guessed would happen after…well, after what just happened. "Yeah, that was a skeleton arm, but don't worry, luv. That's actually a good thing."

Good thing? Being on a first-name basis with the living dead? Yeah, whatever, I thought, leaning back against the wall, deciding that I'd get a bit of shut-eye before the morning. If that was even possible, with all the dancing skeletons on the inside of my eyes.

~~~~~

Well, there's the end of another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will be up soon.

Now I'm gonna go order my copy of POTC online now cuz we won't get it until ages! It's still showing in cinemas here! *sneaks off and steals mum's credit card…* Heh heh.

Bye!

~Rhi


	3. Commandeer, Nautical Term

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Caribbean Crusades

Chapter 3

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G'day everyone. I'm back with another fabulous chapter of Caribbean Crusades! Everyone cheer and dance around happily…*silence*…no? Alrighty then. Thanks to those who reviewed, I always love reading comments about my stories. Now, without further ado, onto Chapter 3 of Caribbean Crusades…

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I awoke to a clicking sound. Surprisingly, I'd actually fallen asleep, and dreamed of things other than skeletons. I opened my eyes and saw Jack trying to pick the lock with the piece of bone. "Please…" he muttered.

"So this is what the famous Captain Jack Sparrow has resorted to?" I said. "Trying to pick a lock with a bone?"

Jack wasn't given a chance to answer as there was a thunk as the main door opened and footsteps came down the stairs.

Jack left the bone in the lock and quickly lay down, pretending that he was asleep. Like no one would guess what he'd been up to.

I looked out at the stairs to see who was coming. It was only Will.

"Good morning, Sam." He greeted. I nodded my own greetings.

Will turned and looked at Jack. "You, Sparrow" he said.

Jack propped himself up on his elbows "Aye?"

"You are familiar with the ship, the Black Pearl."

"I've 'eard of it"

"Where does it make berth?"

"Where does it make berth?" Jack gave Will an incredulous look. " Have you not heard the stories? Captain Barbossa and his crew of miscreants sailed from the dreaded Isla de Muerta. It's an island that cannot be found except by those who already know where it is." Jack said, all with his typical hand waving.

"The ship's real enough. Therefore its anchorage must be a real place. Where is it?"

Jack looked down and studied his nails. "Why ask me?"

"Because you're a pirate." Will stated.

"And you want to turn pirate yourself, is that it?"

"Never! They took Miss Swann."

I started laughing. "This is as close as he'll come to saying that he likes her." I told Jack.

Jack grinned. "Oh, so it is that you've found a girl. I see. Well, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady's heart you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."

"Oh, Jack, stop being so stubborn. Will, just get us out." I said, just wanting out of the dingy jail cell. I was itching for an adventure and knowing Will, he'd want to go rescue Elizabeth.

"What's your full name, boy?" Jack asked.

"Will Turner." Will said hesitantly.

"That will be short for William, I imagine. Good, strong name. No doubt, named for your father, aye?"

"Yes."

Hmm. Where was Jack going with this?

"Aha. Well, Mr. Turner, I've changed me mind. If you spring me from this cell, I swear on pain of death, I shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass. Do we have an accord?" Jack said, sticking his hand through a hole in the bars for Will to shake.

"Agreed." They shook hands.

"Agreed. Now, get us out" Jack said, waving his hands up an upwards motion.

Will twisted open the door with a bench and pulled the door off. It dropped onto the stone floor with a loud clunk.

"Hurry, someone will have heard that."

"Not without my effects" Jack said, grabbing our things off the little bench. He handed my sword to me and we took off down to the beach.

We stopped under the bridge where we could see all the ships in the harbour.

"Right, so which one should we use?" Jack muttered to himself. "Ah, that looks like an ideal one." He said, looking at the Dauntless.

"We're going to steal a ship. That ship?" Will said, glancing at the Dauntless.

"Commandeer." I corrected. Will looked at me strangely. Hey, I know pirate terms. So shoot me.

"Aye, commandeer, a nautical term." Jack said. "One question about your business boy, or there's no use going. This girl, how far are you willing to go to save her?"

"I'd die for her." Will stated gravely.

"Oh good, no worries then."

They started down towards the beach to where the dinghies were left lying upside down in the sun to dry.

Will turned to me. "Sam, I want you to go home. This is no expedition for a lady. You'd be safer at home."

"No way. There is absolutely no way that I'm going home. I'm not skipping out on the adventure of my life! And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not a lady!"

"Just go, Sam. I don't want to have to worry about you all the time as well as try and find Elizabeth."

"I'm not going home. And I can take care of myself. You should know. You're the one who taught me."

Jack came up and placed a hand on each of our shoulders. "Could we get this over with soon, we'll be havin' company in a minute." He nodded towards a bunch of redcoats trotting down the beach.

I gave Will my never fail puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh, alright. Just stay out of trouble."

Jack clapped his hands together. "Splendid. Now if you would please." He held up one side of the boat and gestured for us to get under.

We crammed in under the boat. I was pushed up against Jack and I had Will's foot uncomfortably close to my head.

The redcoats trotted by and we waited for the footsteps to fade away before we moved.

We untangled ourselves and scuttled down the beach and into the water, creating our very own air bubble with the upside down dinghy.

"This is either madness or brilliance" Will remarked from behind me.

"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide." Jack replied.

"Especially with you, eh, Jack?" I piped up.

"Oy, none o' that, luv."

We reached the Dauntless and used the rope from the lobster trap that Will had so gracefully stepped in, to help us up the first bit of the Dauntless' back side. Wanting to prove myself to both Will and Jack, I climbed quickly and nimbly, my lighter weight and flexibility coming in handy. I passed both on the way up and sliding quietly over the rain and landing soundlessly on the deck. I stuck my head back over the side and grinned at the two. They reached the deck and we all drew our swords and calmly walked down the stairs.

"Everyone stay calm, we are taking over the ship." Jack said.

The crew looked a little shocked at Jack's statement.

Will came up beside Jack. "Aye, avast!"

The crew laughed.

"This ship cannot be crewed by two men." I stepped forward and cleared my throat. "Sorry…two men and a woman. You'll never make it out of the bay." Gillette said pompously 

"Son, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" Jack said, as if it was so impossible for anyone to believe.

We offloaded the Gillette and his cronies into a little dinghy and set them on their way, as we made like we were actually planning to sail off on this big ship.

I could see the Gillette screaming and waving his arms around trying to get Norrington's attention. I laughed, it looked rather funny.

Will turned around to see what I was laughing at. By then the Interceptor was peeling away from the dock. "Here they come." He said.

Jack disappeared into the hold and came back up just as the Interceptor had reached us, by then, the three of us were waiting at the front of the ship, ready to swing over to the Interceptor on Jack's word.

"Search every cabin, every hold, down to the bilges!" I heard Norrington yell.

"Right, go." Jack said and the three of us swung onto the Interceptor. Jack made his way up to the helm and manned the wheel, while Will cut the ropes Norrington's men had used, with his hatchet.

I turned just in time to see a man try and swing back onto the Interceptor, but he was too late and landed in the water with a great splash. Hmm, I wonder if he can swim. I should think it was rather disgraceful for the Royal Navy to have so many soldiers who couldn't swim. Especially for a place called Port Royale. I mean, the answer's in the question. (If you tell me what movie I got that off, I'll give you a cookie.)

I could hear Jack yelling back over to Norrington. "Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way. We'd have had a hard time of it by ourselves."

I could practically see steam coming out of Norrington's ears. Serves him right, I thought.

We concentrated on the ship and sailed in silence until we were far enough away from Port Royale.

Jack was manning the wheel, making sure we weren't off course, and me, being the monkey I am, was up on the mast, checking the sail ropes, keeping an eye out for flags on the horizon, and paying attention to the conversation going on below me. One up for the multi-tasking female!

I watched Will, who was sharpening his sword. "When I was a lad living in England, my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came out here, looking for my father." he said.

"Is that so" Jack replied, looking very uninterested while he was checking the ropes.

"My father, Will Turner. And in jail it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father." Will pressed on.

"I knew 'im. Probably one the few who knew him as William Turner, everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill." Jack said

"Bootstrap?" Will said, confused.

"Good man, good pirate. I swear you look just like him." Jack said, enjoying this all too much.

"It's not true. He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law." Will insisted, not believing Jack's words.

"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag."

"My father was not a pirate." Will said, pulling out his sword.

Here we go again.

"Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again." Jack warned.

"You didn't beat me; you ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd killed you." Will countered.

I swung down from the mast, deciding that I should intervene, should the little confrontation get too hairy. I don't think it'd be too good having the two fighting on the ship, with no one to steer it.

"That's no incentive for me to fight fair, is it?" Jack said, swinging the wheel around.

The yard swung over and Will dropped his sword and grabbed onto the beam just in time before he went swinging out over the water. I ducked as it swung by me, just in time. 

"Hey!" I protested.

"Sorry, luv." Jack said, then he turned back to Will. "Now as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance – you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. And me, for example, I can let you drown but me and Sam here can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by our onesies, savvy?" Jack explained. He swung the wheel back the other way and yard swung back over the deck. I ducked again as it swooped over my head. Will let go as he got over the deck, and fell onto his back. Jack offered Will his sword back. "So, can you sail under the command of a pirate, or can you not?"

Will took his sword back. "Tortuga?"

Jack grinned. "Tortuga."

Yay, Tortuga. I'd heard a lot about that place. I can look forward to getting hit on by old, ugly sailors who haven't had a lay in years.

~~~~~

Well, that's the end of another chapter, look out for the next chapter, 'That was for the smell', in the next couple of days.

~Rhi


	4. That Was For The Smell

****

Caribbean Crusades

Chapter 4

~~~~~

Hi, it's me again. Thankee to all my cool reviewers. Very much appreciated.

Here's replies to a couple of my reviewers:

Queen Flare - No, I was not offended. I always appreciate a piece of constructive criticism. Thanks for taking the time to offer me some advice. I think you'll find that in the next few chapters, it strays slightly from the movie storyline. I'm going to redo my chapters anyway, and see what other changes I can make. I hope you'll read on.

Chavi West-Wind - yeah, I suppose you're right about how Sam talks and acts. I actually based Sam on me (makes it easier that way), and what I'd do or say in the situation, without having her stealing the other character's lines. That's probably why it seems like it follows the movie a lot, because I tried not to change the storyline and the character's lines too much. She doesn't dress up because she doesn't like it, and she won't change herself just for anyone, and she switches between proper English, and slang depending on her situation. I'll definitely include her in the story more, and give her some important stuff to do, though.

StoryTellerJS - Thanks for your reviews, they made me laugh. The land of mayonnaise shall forever be safe with you around! ^.^!

And onto the story we go…

~~~~~

We docked at Tortuga late that afternoon, and we followed Jack through the town, while he explained to Tortuga to Will.

"…More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep the sweet proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?"

"It'll linger" Will said, looking like he was not too sure about this town. I could understand that. I looked about the streets in disgust. I'd never seen anything like this in my life, not even in the worse sections of Port Royale. 

The streets were lined with drunken men, and women squeezed into dresses that are at least a size too small. Women would give the men a peep show Tortuga style, by putting the folds of their dresses over their heads. Men were getting rum and other alcohol poured into their mouths, not to mention everywhere else.

"I'll tell you, mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted." Jack said proudly.

I grimaced. If you say so Jack. Judging by Will's expression, I could tell he was thinking along the same lines. I looked around nervously at all the creepy old men around and decided to push my way in between Jack and Will.

"Feelin' a little scared, luv?"

"You wish. I'm just cold, that's all." I bluffed. For some reason, I didn't want to admit to him that I wasn't too comfortable with this town. I didn't want him to think any less of me.

As we walked down the muddy road, we came across a woman that Jack obviously knew. She was obviously a prostitute, dressed all in red, and she didn't look too happy.

"Scarlet!" Jack exclaimed. She pursed her lips and slapped Jack, then strode off.

Jack looked at us, slightly confused. "Not sure I deserved that."

We soon came across another woman, that Jack obviously didn't know.

"Giselle!" he exclaimed.

She put her hands on her hips and scowled at Jack. "Who was she?" then she slapped him.

"I may have deserved that."

"You think?"

Jack led us through Tortuga, and we stopped at a water pump he filled a bucket with water and handed it to me then he filled another bucket for himself and we walked around the corner to a pig sty, where there was a man, sleeping with the pigs.

Jack grinned and sloshed the water all over the man. He was definitely enjoying this, I decided.

Gibbs woke with a start. "Curse you fer breathin', ye slack-jawed idiot!" he yelled before realising who it was that woke him. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck."

"Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." Jack explained, waving his hands around erratically.

Gibbs looked confused as he considered it, then his whole face changed as he realised what Jack had said. "Aye, that'll about do it." He agreed.

I looked at the bucket I was holding in my hand, dying to throw it at him, but being the good, generous person I am, I handed it to Will, giving him the water sloshing privilege. He looked at the bucket, and I jerked my head towards Gibbs. He shrugged and sloshed the water all over him.

"Blast! I'm already awake!" Gibbs spluttered.

"That was for the smell." I said, smiling sweetly. Gibbs nodded as if that was a reasonable explanation.

Gibbs led us to his favourite bar and sat us at a vacant table in the corner. It was a noisy, violent place, but exciting nonetheless. Deciding that I was going to enjoy myself, I dragged Will up to the bar to get us a drink.

"What'll it be?" the bartender asked as I slid onto the barstool.

"Um, I'll have a rum." I said. I looked at Will. "Actually, make that two."

"I don't want anything." Will said. "And if you've got any sense, you shouldn't either. I mean, have you _seen_ this place?"

I slung my arm around his shoulder. "Come on, Will. Lighten up. 'Sides, we got Jack."

Will looked over his shoulder at Jack, who was sitting at a table with Gibbs, surrounded by women in their skimpy little dresses. Will looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "He looks a little preoccupied."

The bartender slammed two mugs of rum in front of us.

I lifted mine to him. "Thankee, mate." I said, deliberately not talking proper in an effort to fit in.

I pushed Will's mug towards him, and he picked it up hesitantly.

"Drink up." I said, slapping him on his back, making some of his rum slosh out of the mug.

I belted back my drink, and noticed that Will had almost finished his.

I signalled to the bartender. "Top these up my good man."

He topped them up again and we sat in silence, sipping at our rum. I could faintly hear Jack and Gibbs' conversation.

" Now, what's the nature of this venture your'n?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm going after the Black Pearl." Jack stated, plain and simple. Gibbs choked on his drink and coughed. "I know where it's going to be and I'm going to take it."

"Jack, it's a fool's errand. Well, you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl"

"That's why I know what Barbossa is up to…all I need is a crew."

"From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools nor strike a bargain with one." Gibbs warned.

"Well, then I say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool then, aye?" Jack countered.

"Prove me wrong. What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?"

"Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, aye?" Jack says smoothly, nodding over to where we were sitting a number of times before Gibbs got it. Is this guy slow or what?

"The lass?"

Jack shook his head, frustrated.

"The lad?"

"That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner. His only child, savvy?" Jack said.

Will's Bootstrap Bill's child? Wow, that's the last thing I'd have thought of him.

"Is he now? Leverage says you, I think I feel a change in the wind says I. I'll find us a crew, there's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you."

Unlikely.

"One can only hope. Take what you can…" Jack toasted Gibbs and they clinked their mugs.

"…Give nothing back!"

They drained the rest of their drinks and slammed the empty mugs on the table simultaneously.

I turned my attention back to Will. He'd obviously heard the conversation as well and he'd stopped drinking.

"Come on, drink up." I said, shoving him yet another mug full of rum. Will reluctantly picked the mug up, and started drinking again.

It was a while before Jack came back over to us. He took one look at Will, who was by then, very drunk, and was explaining to me the finer points of sword crafting.

"Ish veryyy shimple. All yer gotsta go ish melt t'all up an' cool ish all d'wn 'gain, do a lit'le bangin' and yer got yershelf a pertty shword."

I was pretty tipsy myself, but having been drinking for years. I used to meet one of my friends, Robbie, down by the beach to drink. He'd steal drink out of his dad's bar, and share it with me. He'd been doing that since we were about 15. No one but him and I knew about it, though, and his dad had never discovered the missing drink. Not so surprising if you knew his dad. He was so scatterbrained, and was always misplacing things. And as a result of this, I could handle my alcohol pretty well. Will, it seems, could not.

"Have you been gettin' Will here drunk?" Jack asked, looking at the state of Will, who was slumped over the bar.

"Course I 'ave. Needed t'know how much he could handle."

Jack laughed. "Good on ya, luv. Now let's get him into a bed so he can sleep it off."

I slid off the stool, and waited for the room to stop spinning before grabbing one of Will's arms while Jack grabbed the other. I put a few gold coins on the bar to pay for our drinks, and we pulled Will off the stool and half walked half dragged him to a nearby hotel.

We were directed upstairs to the only room the hotel had left. Jack kicked the door open and we dumped Will on the nearest bed, where he lay, spread out like a starfish. I giggled, he looked incredibly funny like that. Wait a minute, when was the last time I giggled? I was beginning to think that I must be a little more than tipsy. I shrugged. Oh well, don't matter now. Yeah, you keep on thinking that, missy, my brain told me. It was only then that I spotted the only other bed in the room. There wasn't even a couch for goodness sakes. There was only a double bed, sitting there ominously. I could almost see it laughing at me…or maybe that was the rum…

"Well, it looks like yer stuck with me then, luv." Jack said. "Now if ye don't mind, I'm goin' to bed. Will you be joinin' me?" He pulled off his jacket and laid his hat and other effects on the floor next to the bed.

"Don't have much of a choice, do I?" I said.

Jack grinned at me and shrugged.

I undid the belt that was securing the sword I'd been carrying all day and dropped it on the floor and I swung myself into bed. Jack, who must have been a bit tipsy too, rolled over and threw his arm around me and pulled me close.

I peeled his arm off. "I don't think so, Mr Sparrow. And you stick to your side." I said.

"Captain. Captain Sparrow." Jack mumbled back and just like that, he was sound asleep and I wasn't much far behind.

I woke up in the morning, with an arm slung over me from behind. I rolled over and came face to face with Jack, who was already awake.

"Mornin', luv." He said, grinning cheekily. He leaned forward, gave me a quick kiss on the lips and rolled over out of bed, pulling on his shirt and adjusting his bandanna before putting on his hat.

I half-heartedly frowned at him, and got out of bed myself, crossing the room to where Will was still sleeping. Heh, heh, he probably had a monster headache.

"Will."

Will groaned and rolled over.

"Will. Get up, we have to go."

When he didn't respond, I started shaking him. "Earthquake!" I yelled.

Will suddenly sat bolt upright, looking incredibly shocked, his eyes wide.

My job done, I walked back across the room and picked up my sword belt and put it on.

Will rolled out of bed. I suddenly felt a pang of guilt, because he looked terrible. His eyes were all glazed and he didn't look all there, if you know what I mean.

"Sorry, mate." I said.

Will waved his hand dismissively as he made his way to the water bowl and splashed water all over his face. He turned around, looking slightly more awake.

"Righto, mates, let's get goin'." Jack said, swaying his way out of the room, with Will doing a very good impression of him.

We made our way down to the dock, where Gibbs had a line of people there, ready and waiting for Jack's say-so.

"Feast your eyes, Captain. All of them, faithful hands before the mast. Every man worth his salt. And crazy to boot." Gibbs said, proudly.

"So this is your able-bodied crew?" Will asked incredulously, as we made our way down the line, every mix of man lined up in front of us. Young, old, short, tall, some looking like they were still feeling the effects of last night's drinking, some looking like they were a few sandwiches short of a picnic…if you know what I mean…

Jack ignored Will's comment and stopped in front of a greying sailor with a parrot perched on his shoulder.

"You, sailor!"

"Cotton, sir." Gibbs provided.

"Mr. Cotton. Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death? Mr. Cotton! Answer me!" Jack said.

"He's a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how…" Gibbs explained.

Cotton poked what was left of his tongue out. Jack looked squeamish and poked his own tongue out. Will gave Jack a disbelieving look. I smiled, despite the fact that my stomach was twisting about at the sight of the stump. I ran my tongue over my teeth, grateful that I still had it.

"Mr Cotton's…parrot. Same question."

"Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!" the parrot squawked.

"Mostly, we figure, that means 'yes'." Gibbs provided.

"O'course it does. Satisfied?" Jack said, turning to Will.

"Well, you've proved them mad." Will said grimly.

"And what's the benefit for us?" a woman's voice asked from somewhere down the line.

Jack grimaced and hesitantly walked down the line. He pulled the sailor's hat off her head, revealing long dark hair, which tumbled down past her shoulders. "Anamaria." He stated grimly.

Anamaria slapped Jack. Poor guy.

"I 'spose you didn't deserve that one, either?" Will said.

"No, that one I deserved." Jack said matter-of-factly.

"You stole my boat!" Anamaria accused.

"Actually." Jack started to explain, before getting slapped again. "Borrowed, borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back to you."

"But you didn't!" she insisted.

"You'll get another one." Jack promised.

Anamaria stuck her finger in Jack's face menacingly. "I will"

"A better one." Will piped up.

"A better one!" Jack agreed enthusiastically.

"That one!" I said, pointing at the Interceptor. It was fun to see Jack squirm.

Jack gave me a look. " What one?" he growled. "That one?!" I shrugged, smiling innocently at him. "Aye! That one." Jack said, not given much choice now. "What say you?"

Anamaria thought about it, then yelled. "Aye!"

"No, no, no, no, no, it's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir. Let alone two!" Gibbs cut in.

"It'd be far worse not to have 'em." Jack corrected.

I grinned and followed them down the dock. This was going to be fun.

~~~~~

There ye go. The end of another chapter. The next chapter 'Pululehvoos' will be along in a couple of days. Look forward to seeing ye there, savvy?


	5. Puhlulehvoos

****

Caribbean Crusades

Chapter 5

~~~~~

Hi! I decided to update early cause I got so many nice reviews. So here you go…

PED-Sarah – Heh heh. I'm making ye wait cause I'm evil…mwahaha…

StoryTellerJS – Ahh! Killer vacuums! Where! *ducks and looks around cautiously* 

Queen Flare – Thankee mate.

Righto, onto the story…

~~~~~

We loaded ourselves and the supplies on board the Interceptor and set sail, Jack standing proudly at the helm, consulting his compass every so often to make sure we stayed on track. He was being very cautious with that compass. Whenever someone looked at him while he was consulting it, he's quickly slip it into his pocket. I wondered what that was about.

The rest of the crew set to work. The ones that had jobs to do did those jobs, while the rest played cards up on deck.

Never having had to do anything but run around, doing what I liked, on a ship, I decided that I'd learn as much as I could, so I hung around members of the crew, learning what I could by watching them and bugging them for the rest. I learned a lot off Anamaria. She was surprisingly patient when it came to teaching me, and she taught me a lot in a short time.

She had been a little clipped when Jack had asked her to teach me the ropes. But I guess, being the only two females aboard, even though she swore that she was just one of the guys, we kind of bonded. 

I borrowed a long piece of rope and sat at the bow of the ship and practised the knots that Anamaria had taught me. I'd decided that I loved the feeling of being aboard a ship, and the smell of salt air, and the spray of the water cooling you down from the hot Caribbean sun.

I heard the call from the guy up in the crows' nest. "Storm, ho!"

I looked up at the sky and saw the ominous black clouds in the distance, rolling in ahead of us.

"All hands on deck!" I heard Jack yell. I suppose that meant me as well. I made my way back around to where the rest of the crew was assembling.

Jack started giving orders to everyone, letting them know exactly what they were to do. "Right, you all know what to do." Jack said. "So go and do it."

The crew all took off in different directions to do their various jobs.

"Sam." Jack called me over to him. "Stay up here, luv. And hold on tight once we get into the stormy waters."

We'd soon sailed right into the storm and the ship was suddenly lurching around, like it had a mind of its own. It was pouring with rain, and the wind was blowing so hard that the rain was almost horizontal. Every now and then, a bolt of lightning would come twisting out of the clouds, accompanied with a deafening roll of thunder. I can now see what Jack meant by 'hold on tight'. After sliding around for a bit, I grabbed a bit of rope and tied myself to the rail, quite pleased with my solution.

I watched Jack as he stood at the wheel, legs spread wide for balance, wearing a self-satisfied grin on his face. He consulted his compass, then snapped it shut, sliding it into his pocket.

"We should drop canvas, sir." Gibbs yelled at Jack, over the booming noise of the storm.

"She can hold a bit longer." Jack yelled back.

"What's in your head that's put you in such a fine mood, Captain?" Gibbs asked.

Jack smiled wider. "We're catching up."

The storm was soon over and we were nearing our destination. I was sitting cross-legged on deck with Will and Gibbs, feeling very uncomfortable in my sopping wet clothes. Most of the crew were doing damage control, fixing broken ropes and repairing ripped sails. Jack hadn't budged from his position at the helm. He checked the compass every few minutes, keeping the ship on course, and according to Gibbs, we were making great time.

Cotton's parrot was perched on the main mast squawking nonsense. "Dead men tell no tales." It squawked.

I looked over the side of the boat and could see the lonely wreckages of many ships in the waters below us, and a lone hammerhead shark patrolling his domain.

"Puts a chill in the bones how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage." Gibbs said to no one in particular.

Will watched Jack as he snapped his compass shut and slip it into his pocket again. "How is it that Jack came by that compass?" he asked.

"Not a lot known about Jack Sparrow before he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta. That was before I met him. Back when he was Captain of the Black Pearl." Gibbs explained.

"What? He failed to mention that."

"Well, he plays things close to the vest now. And a hard-learned lesson it was. See three days out on the venture the first mate comes to him and says everything's an equal share as should be the location of the treasure, too. So, Jack gives up the bearings. That night there was a mutiny. They marooned Jack on an island and left him to die but not before he'd gone mad with the heat."

"Ah. So that's the reason for the…" Will imitated Jack by putting his hands out and swaying around a bit.

I laughed, he does a good impression.

"Reason's got nothing to do with it." Gibbs said, seriously. "Now Will, when a man is marooned he is a given a pistol with a single shot." He made a pistol shape with his hand. "Well it won't do much good hunting or to be rescued. But after three weeks of starvin' belly and thirst that pistol starts to look real friendly." Gibbs pointed his fingers at his head. "But Jack made it off the island and he still has that one shot. Oh, but he won't use it though, save for one man. His mutinous first mate."

Ah, so that explains his obsession with that pistol and his comment in the blacksmiths. And why he's so cautious with that compass.

"Barbossa." Will said.

"Aye." Gibbs said.

" How did Jack get off the island?" Will asked.

"Well, I'll tell you. He waded out into the shallows and there he waited three days and three nights till all manner of sea creatures came and acclimated to his presence. And on the fourth morning he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, harnessed them together and made a raft."

"He roped a couple of sea turtles?" Will said, disbelieving.

"Aye, sea turtles." Gibbs repeated.

I tried hard not to laugh out loud. He really believed that ridiculous story.

"What did he use for rope?" Will asked.

Gibbs didn't know the answer to that one. He opened and shut his mouth a couple of times, making him look like a fish. A shadow in the shape of Jack fell over us.

"Human hair." Jack cut in. "From my back." Eeew. He yelled to the crew "Let go of the anchor!" He started to walk to the dinghy. "Young Mr. Turner and I are to go ashore."

I stepped in line behind them. So what if I didn't get an invitation. I was going anyway.

Will turned around and spotted me following. "Sam, stay here." He instructed.

"I want to come." I protested.

"The lad's right. You should stay here." Jack said.

I let out an indignated moan. Now they were both against me.

"It's for your own good. You don't want to come face to face with Barbossa's men. They're not very nice." Jack explained.

"I can take care of myself." I insisted.

"What if the worst should happen?" Gibbs interrupted, putting an end to the argument.

"Keep to the code." Jack answered.

"Aye, the code."

I watched as the crew lowered Jack and Will into the water and they rowed off.

I sat on the railing with my legs dangling off the side of the ship for a while, watching the dinghy disappear into the caves before getting a brainwave. There was nothing keeping me here. I'm sure the crew wouldn't notice if I suddenly disappeared.

Looking around to make sure no one was looking, I dived into the water and swam towards the cave with strong strokes, trying not to think about the hammerhead shark I'd seen earlier.

I reached the caves after a while, and pulled myself out of the water, creating a little waterfall as the water poured off my clothes. I flicked my hair over my shoulder and tied a piece of white material around my head like a bandanna to keep my hair out of my eyes. I couldn't see Jack or Will anywhere around here, but that didn't mean anything. They were probably further in the cave.

I heard a gunshot, startling me. Going down one of the nearby passageways, lined with gold coins, I soon came across Jack, lying motionless on the ground.

"Jack!" I remembered the gunshot. I knelt down next to him, feeling for blood. That was when he came to.

"Can't keep your mitts off me, can you?" he said, grinning.

"You mean you didn't get shot?" I asked.

"No. Bloody Turner whacked me across the 'ead with a bloody oar! I swear, if people are gonna keep hittin' me over the head with stuff, I'm just gonna hafta give 'em a taste of their own medicine."

"You'll hit them back?"

"…Yeah…somethin' like that." Jack said.

I helped Jack up and we made our way further down the tunnel. It was only just wide enough for one person to go through at a time, so I followed behind Jack. This was not a problem until suddenly, Jack stopped, and I smacked straight into the back of him. I looked past him to see what was wrong, and I saw that we'd ran into some of Barbossa's motley crew. Deciding that they hadn't seen me, I turned to go back down the tunnel, but some more of the crew had come down the other way. We were surrounded. We were forced out of the tunnel and into the cave.

"You. You're supposed to be dead!" one of them exclaimed, pointing at Jack.

"Am I not?" Jack said, looking down at himself. "Hmmm."

Dozens of pistols were suddenly pointed at us.

"Puhluley," Jack said. The crew looked at him like he was mad. He continued. "Puhlulehvoos, parleli, parsmi, pasley, parle, parle."

I caught on to what he was trying to say. "Parley?" I offered.

"Parley! That's the one, thanks, luv. Parley! Parley!" he exclaimed, satisfied.

"Parley? Down to the depths whatever muttonhead thought up parley." One of the pirates growled.

Jack, never one to pass up a smart comment said, "That would be the French."

Jack and I were herded into the middle of the cave, where we were given the pleasure of meeting Barbossa. And I tell you, it's a pleasure I'd like to forgo, the next time I'm given the chance.

"How the blazes did you get off that island?" Barbossa asked Jack.

"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate…I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack said, modest 'til the end, eh?"

"Ah, well, I won't be making that mistake again. Gents, you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow? Kill him…and his lass too." Barbossa commanded. Pistols were pointed at us from all angles, from all the pirates present in the cave. Not good.

"The girl's blood didn't work, did it?" Jack said smugly.

"Hold your fire!" Barbossa commanded. The pirates groaned and reluctantly put down their pistols. "You know whose blood we need." Barbossa realised.

"I know whose blood ye need." Jack repeated, still smug.

"Take 'em to the Pearl!" Barbossa commanded.

~~~~~

Next chapter will be up soon…watch out for it!

The monkeys are listening…


	6. Apparently There's a Leak

****

Caribbean Crusades

Chapter 6

~~~~~

Hi guys. Sorry it's been a little longer for this update. I've been working. Cause it's summer holidays, my dad got me a job at his work doing data entry and stuff, and along with my proper job…it's all rather hectic.

StoryTellerJS - sounds funny. You're lucky you have the DVD. My mum's being a real dork and not letting me order it online…I got so pissed off at her. I really want to see it. She says she's worried about me being obsessed…hmmm…me, obsessed…never…

Chavi West-Wind - Wow, I think that's the longest review I've ever got. Thanks for your opinion. That's a really good idea. I think I might just do that. I'm trying to give her more of a personality and a background, but it's kinda hard, trying to basically stick to the storyline, and stuff. I'm writing a sequel, so I'll be able to throw things around a lot more in that.

To everyone else…thanks for reviewing! ^.^

~~~~~

We were roughly shoved towards dinghies and taken to the Black Pearl. We were forced up onto the deck and waited there, pistols pointed at us, waiting for Barbossa to grace us with his presence.

Bored, I started to make conversation. "Lovely day, isn't it?" I said to one of the pirates.

He just waved his pistol closer to my face. Not a good thing.

"Not very conversational, are they?" I commented to Jack.

"Not too bright." Jack explained, tapping his head.

Suddenly, all noise and chatter between the pirates was ceased, and I felt an ominous cloud settle over the ship as Barbossa boarded and stalked over to us, straightening his rather large, almost comical hat. "Jack, you'll come with me." He growled. He turned to the crew. "Lock the lass in the brig. I have no use for her. We'll toss 'er overboard when we get the next chance."

"Hey!" I protested, but no one was listening. "Bloody pirates." I muttered to myself.

The barrel of a gun was poked in my back. I turned around and swatted it away. "Hey, none o' that." I said, allowing myself to be shepherded down into the hold. The floor was slick with water.

"Apparently you've got a leak." I mentioned. They ignored me and roughly shoved me into the cell.

"This seems awfully familiar." I muttered as they exited up the stairs.

I sat on a wooden box and leaned against the side of the cage, bored already.

I was joined soon after by Jack, who was being escorted down by some burly pirate with strange decorations on his face. He noticed the same thing I did. "Apparently you've got a leak." He said, but he too was ignored and shoved into the cell with me.

"Didn't miss me too much, did ya, luv?" he grinned.

"Get over yourself." I said, half-heartedly as I was busy looking out a small hole in the side. Barrels and other assorted items were floating past the ship. What the hell was happening?

Suddenly, we were thrown up against the side of the ship as we suddenly came to a stop and turned. Jack was thrown against me, squashing me against the wall. We slipped to the ground as the ship stopped turning. Jack was still on top of me, grinning. I rolled him over so that I was on top of him.

"Sorry, luv. Didn't know you liked the top." He said cheekily.

I rolled my eyes and got up, none too carefully. I made sure I elbowed him a couple of times just for that statement.

Then the unmistakable sound of cannon fire was heard. I looked out the little hole in the wood, and saw the Interceptor a couple of metres away from the Pearl. Both ships were firing the cannons at each other. I jumped back from the side just as a hole was blown in the wood, where I had been standing, flinging cutlery everywhere. I picked a spoon off the floor, looking at it curiously. Is this a new pirate thing, or had something happened to all the cannonballs?

Jack, however, was more concerned about his ship. "Stop blowing holes in my ship!" Jack yelled out the newly made hole. Then he noticed Gibbs' canteen on the floor of the cell. He undid the top and tried to drink some, discovering that it was empty. He gave the canteen a doleful look.

While Jack was worrying about his ship and drinking rum, I was noticing that we had a way out. A fork had embedded itself in the lock, successfully unlocking the cell. I pushed the door open.

"Come on, Jack." I said, grabbing his wrist, pulling him after me.

We made our way topside, after grabbing our belongings off a hook on the wall, and amongst all the fuss, we weren't even noticed. Jack led me to the rail and took the rope from a pirate who'd just swung back over to the Pearl. "Thanks very much." He said, as the pirate fell into the water. He pulled me over to the side of the ship with him. "Hold on." He said, as he grabbed the rope with one hand and me with the other and pushed off and swung over to the Interceptor.

We made our way over to Gibbs, where Jack handed him the canteen and commented "Bloody empty."

I turned to follow Jack, but I found myself face-to-face with a very ugly pirate. He grinned horribly and pulled his sword. I rolled my eyes and pulled out my own, giving him a threatening look. He grinned wider, probably thinking this'd be an easy victory. Not in your lifetime, buddy, I thought.

We fought for a while, and I let him drive me against the rail so I was pushed right up against it, letting him think he had the victory. I pushed him back a little, and then when he rushed toward me again, I tripped him in such a manner that he fell overboard. I looked over the side. He made a rather impressive bellyflop. I wonder if he could swim. He surfaced and shook a fist at me rather menacingly. I shrugged and smiled at him, and turned away.

"Sam!" I heard my name being called. I looked around to see who it was, and spied Elizabeth over by the grate trying to pull the broken mast off it. "Will's trapped!" she cried.

I joined her by the mast and tried pulling it off, but the most we could do was lift it up a few centimetres.

"It won't budge!" I yelled down to Will. "Is there another way out?"

"No!" he yelled back.

Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind and lifted into the air. I let out a shriek of surprise. I started kicking my legs around, until my foot connected with something behind me. However, it mustn't have hurt my captor, because he didn't put me down.

Elizabeth had also been pulled away. "Will!" she yelled.

Will yelled "Elizabeth!" back. I swear, the only thing those two do is call each other's names.

We were carted over to the Pearl. I frowned. Typical, I was back where I started.

"If any of you as much as thinks the word parley, I'll have your guts for garters." One of the pirates, Pintel, growled at us.

We were suddenly interrupted as the Interceptor blew up. My stomach lurched. What if Will was still on there?

Elizabeth must have had the same idea, because she launched herself at Barbossa. "You've got to stop it! Stop it!" she yelled at him.

Barbossa pushed Elizabeth to his crew, who grinned evilly, scaring Elizabeth, who was struggling to get away from them. "Welcome back, Miss. You took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now that you return the favour."

Will suddenly appeared on the rail, holding a pistol. "Barbossa." He said.

Elizabeth looked relieved. "Will." She said. There we go again.

Will pointed the pistol at Barbossa. "She goes free." He commanded, it was obvious that he meant Elizabeth, not me.

"What's in your head, boy?"

"She goes free!" Will repeated.

"You've only got one shot and we can't die." Barbossa said, menacingly.

Jack put his hands together. "Don't do anything stupid." He pleaded with Will.

"You can't…I can." Will said, ignoring Jack's comment and pointing the pistol at himself.

"Like that." Jack said, dropping his hands, looking resigned.

"Who are you?" Barbossa asked, curious.

Jack broke free from the pack. "No one." He insisted. "He's no one. A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though. Eunuch." He dropped his voice on the last word.

"My name is Will Turner. My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins." Will explained.

"He's a spittin' image of ol' Bootstrap Bill come back to haunt us." One of the pirates commented.

"On my word do as I say or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker." Will commanded.

"Name your terms, Mr. Turner." Barbossa said.

"Elizabeth goes free." Will insisted. Him and his one-track mind.

Barbossa rolled his eyes. "Yes, we know that one. Anything else?"

Jack started waving his hands around, pointing at himself.

Will pointed towards Jack and the crew. "And the crew, the crew are not to be harmed."

"Agreed." Barbossa said. That slime-ball. He's definitely got some trick up his sleeve.

Everyone was crammed in the brig, except for Will, Jack, Elizabeth and I, who were separated and put in the other one.

A while later, and after a lot of arguing between the four of us, mostly with Jack saying how stupid Will was, we were brought topside again. I blinked as the bright light assaulted my eyes.

The pirates started cheering as we came up. Pistols were pointed at us and we were waved towards the side of the ship. I could now see what they were going to do. A plank was placed over the side of the ship.

"The lady first." Barbossa said, waving Elizabeth towards the plank.

"Go on! Walk the plank." One of the pirates yelled.

"Barbossa, you lying bastard! You swore she'd go free!" Will yelled, as Elizabeth crept along the plank, towards the end. He was gagged by a pirate.

"Don't dare impugn me honour, boy. I agreed she'd go free, it was you who failed to specify when or where." Barbossa growled. "Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don't it lads?"

"Aye!" the pirates agreed.

"So I'll be having that dress back before you go." Barbossa continued.

Beside me, Jack was trying to get the pirate to let him go. "You know, I always liked you." The pirate ignored him.

Elizabeth took the dress off, and was left standing on the plank in her undergarments. She threw the dress at Barbossa. "It goes with your black heart." She spat.

Barbossa pressed the dress to his face. "Ooh, it's still warm." He taunted.

Bo'sun, getting impatient, growled "Too long!" and he stomped on the plank, making Elizabeth fall off the edge, splashing into the crystalline water, which would be perfect in any other situation.

Jack was dragged towards the edge. "I'd rather hoped we were all past this."

"Jack. Jack! Did ya not notice? That be the same little island that we made you Governor of on our last little trip." Barbossa pointed out towards the strip of land.

Jack frowned. "I did notice."

"Perhaps you'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape. But I doubt it." Barbossa pulled out his sword and brandished it at Jack's throat. "Off you go."

"Last time you left me a pistol with one shot." Jack said, obviously stalling him.

"By the powers, you're right. Where be Jack 's pistol? Bring it forward." The pistol was handed to Barbossa.

"Seeing as there's three of us, a gentleman would give us three shots." Jack tried to negotiate.

"It'll be one pistol as before and you can be the gentleman and decide which lady to shoot." Barbossa growled, and threw Jack's pistol and the rest of his effects into the water.

"Now for Jack's lass." Barbossa said as I was pushed towards the plank. I stopped and stared Barbossa in the eye. "I think you're forgetting something." I said coldly.

"What be that?"

"My sword." I stated in my very best 'you're-an-idiot' voice.

Barbossa laughed. Not a very pleasant thing. "Bring the lass's sword, if she thinks she can handle it."

My sword was handed to me and I snatched it off the pirate, then turned and dived off the plank, in much the same way as Jack had done.

"Good riddance." I muttered, as I swam towards the beach, not far behind Jack and Elizabeth.

We regrouped on the beach and Jack gazed out at the ship disappearing into the distance."That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship." He said, then turned around and walked up the beach, obviously on a mission for something.

Elizabeth and I followed him. Elizabeth was bugging him about escaping off the island. I was more curious about what Jack was looking for. Hopefully something good.

"But you were marooned on this island before, weren't you? So we can escape in the same way you did then." Elizabeth protested.

"To what point and purpose, young missy? The Black Pearl is gone and unless you have a rudder and a lot of sails hidden in that bodice, unlikely, young Mr. Turner will be dead long before you can reach him." Jack countered. 

He turned around and knocked on a couple of trees, then from one tree, he took four very large, comical steps and jumped up and down on a springy patch of sand, not interested in what Elizabeth was saying. He knelt down and started brushing the sand away from where he had been standing.

"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow. You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company. You sacked Nassau Port without even firing a shot. Are you the pirate I've read about or not? How did you escape last time?" Elizabeth pushed.

Jack took a deep breath. "Last time…I was here a grand total of three days, alright? Last time…" he started, before disappearing down a trapdoor in the sand. Well what do ya know? "…The rumrunners used this island as a cache. Came by and I was able to barter a passage off. From the looks of things, they've long been out of business. Probably have your bloody friend Norrington to thank for that." Jack emerged from the hole with three bottles of rum. Yay, it wasn't so bad as I thought. Now we can drink ourselves into a stupor and forget about this whole being marooned thing.

"So that's it then? That's the secret grand adventure of the infamous Jack Sparrow? You spent three days lying on a beach, drinking rum!?" Elizabeth said, disbelieving. What's so wrong with that, I wondered. Three days on the beach drinking rum don't sound so bad. As if reading my thoughts, Jack passed me one of the bottles of rum then turned to Elizabeth.

"Welcome to the Caribbean, luv." Jack said, doing a little shoulder-shake thing and he handed Elizabeth a bottle before walking back down to the beach.

I shrugged at Elizabeth and followed Jack down to the beach, where we could eat, drink and be merry…well drink and be merry, seeing as we had no food. But we had rum! And that's all that counts, right?

I sat next to Jack on the hot sand, drinking my rum. Elizabeth had decided not to join us at the moment. Probably she'd gone off to vent her frustration. I could understand that. I've found it necessary to do that sometimes in my life. Especially when I was living with my parents.

I looked at Jack. I could tell he was frustrated at losing his ship again. "Don't worry, mate, we'll get your Pearl back." I assured him. He looked at me and grinned. Nothing could keep him down for long. "Of course, luv. I've already got somethin' figured out." He tapped his head knowingly.

I grinned back at him, getting an idea. "How 'bout I give you something else to think about in the meantime?" I said, giving him a sly smile.

"I wouldn't complain."

I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the lips. I went to pull away, but he put his hand behind my head and kept me pressed up against him. I lifted a hand and ran it through his hair. I always wanted to do that. He deepened the kiss. Finally, he pulled away and we both breathed in a breath of fresh air.

"Mission accomplished." Jack said, licking his lips.

"Yeah, well don't get any ideas. You only get that when you really need it." I told him. Although I wouldn't mind doing it more often…

"I think I need it again." Jack told me, he put his arm around me and I lay back on the sand as he leaned in again.

We were just about to kiss, when who should come walking in, but Elizabeth herself. Talk about bad timing.

She didn't acknowledge what we'd been doing and we didn't ask what she'd seen.

She slumped down on the sand next to us and took her first sip of the rum. She coughed a bit on the first few sips, but kept on drinking anyway.

~~~~~

And we come, yet again, to the end of another chapter…

I saw Benny and Joon yesterday. It was so funny. I was almost rolling around on the floor when Sam did his thing in the park with the handkerchief and with the hat. Heh heh. What's some of Johnny Depp's other really good movies? I'm really getting into his stuff. I read in someone's story that he says 'savvy' in another one of his movies. Which one's that? If someone could tell me, that'd be great!

Thankee!

~Rhi


	7. Drink Up Me 'earties Yo Ho!

****

Caribbean Crusades

Chapter 7

~~~~~

Thanks to those who stuck with me while my story was deleted, and here's the long-awaited chapter the seventh…

Chavi West-Wind - Thanks for reviewing again, and in answer to your last review that got deleted along with my story…I definitely share that opinion with you. Orlando and Johnny are **_very_** sexy. (in case you can't see that, the very is underlined, bold and in italics). Oh, and a eunuch is a guy who's been castrated.

Masked critic - Thanks for your review. If you're still with me, no, I definitely do not hate you and want revenge, actually, your review was actually the one that made me go back over my chapters and add in bits and pieces. I didn't realise that I didn't put in her reactions to the skeleton pirates and Tortuga until you mentioned it, and explained the rest of the things you mentioned in the stuff I added into the other chapters. As to the bit about her and Jack, I don't think that's too much of a problem, because back then it was more common for a much older man to go for a younger woman. Look at Norrington asking Elizabeth to marry him for example. And she didn't actually sleep with Jack, she just shared a bed (if you're meaning the bit in Tortuga).

Thank you to haldir2, chibi-ami, Lykosdracos and amy for recommending Johnny movies to me. I'm in the process of watching them all. My favourite so far is Chocolat…yummy Johnny sexiness…I liked it so much I went out and bought the DVD.

Thanks also to everyone else who reviewed…

~~~~~

By the time nightfall came, we were all pretty tipsy, but Jack still managed to light a fire, which is a glorious thing to dance around when you've been drinking too much.

Elizabeth started singing, and Jack and I soon joined in and we were dancing around the fire singing. "We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs. Drink up me 'earties yo ho! Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me!" we yelled at the top of our lungs. Just as well we were the only ones on this island, or the whole thing could've been pretty embarrassing.

"I love this song! Really bad eggs! Woo!" Jack said, before falling over in the sand. "When I get the Pearl back, I'm gonna teach it to the whole crew and we'll sing it all the time." He vowed.

"And you'll be positively the most fearsome pirate in the Spanish Main." Elizabeth piped up. She really must be drunk to be agreeing with Jack.

"Not just the Spanish Main, luv, the entire ocean, the entire wo'ld. Wherever we want to go, we'll go, that's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails that's what a ship needs but what a ship is…what the Black Pearl really is…is freedom." He said, all with his usual hand waving.

"Jack, it must be really terrible for you to be trapped on this island." Elizabeth said, cozying up to Jack. I couldn't help but feel mad at her for taking Jack's attention. I didn't know what had come over me. Instead of trying to put a name to the feeling, even though I had this little niggly thought that I knew what it was, I just put it down to the fact that I'd been drinking too much.

"Oh, yes." Jack said, one of his arms around me, the other around Elizabeth. "But the company is infinitely better than last time, I think. And the…the scenery has definitely improved."

I held up my bottle. "Let's make a toast."

Elizabeth held up her own bottle. "To freedom."

Jack clinked his bottle against ours. "To the Black Pearl." He then tipped his bottle on end and gulped down the rest of his drink, before lying back on the sand.

I finished the rest of mine off, and dropped the bottle next to me, before lying down next to Jack and cuddling into him for warmth. He held me in close with one of his arms and we fell asleep like that.

The next morning I was woken by the smell of smoke. Jack must have awakened also, because he got up in a big hurry. I rolled over and looked up the beach where Jack was going. There was a large plume of smoke trailing its way into the air. It was all good until I discovered what the fire was actually fueled with.

"No! Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you doing? You burned all the food, the shade, the rum!" I heard Jack yell, with emphasis on the rum bit of course.

The rum! She burned the rum! I ran the rest of the way and stopped in horror when I saw the fire.

"Yes, the rum is gone." Elizabeth said simply. She burned it on purpose!?

"Why is the rum gone?" Jack asked. He sounded so forlorn it was almost cute, which was not a word you'd normally associate with Jack.

"One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire Royal Navy is out looking for me, do you really think that there is even the slightest chance that they won't see it?" Elizabeth explained.

"But why is the rum gone?"

"Just wait, Captain Sparrow. You give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye out and then you will see white sails on that horizon." Elizabeth said assuredly.

I watched as Jack pulled out his pistol in frustration, then thought better of it and tucked it back into his pants and stalked off down the beach. I could hear him imitating Elizabeth's comments from last night. Deciding to leave Elizabeth the pyromaniac with her glorious fire, I ran off after Jack, just in case he decided to do something stupid. He'd stopped at the far end of the beach and was staring out at the ocean. And what do you know? White sails on the horizon.

"There'll be no living with her after this." Jack commented.

"Don't worry, mate. Let's go get Elizabeth and what's left of the rum and wait for the Dauntless to come." I pulled him by his arm and he started walking back down the beach with me.

"Looks like you were right." I commented to Elizabeth when we got back.

She looked relieved. "Well, let's go wait for them then." She said, starting to walk off.

"Uh, hold up a sec." I said, laughing at Jack, who had his arms full of the bottles.

"I don't think you'll need all of that rum, Jack." I said.

He shrugged, causing one of the bottles to fall down to the sand. "Don't see the harm. Could you pick that one up, luv?"

I picked up the bottle and placed it in his arms, where it balanced precariously.

By the time we'd got back over to the end of the beach, half the bottles had fallen on the way, and I managed to convince him to leave them here. You never know, I'd said, he could be marooned again. He didn't like that idea much to say the least.

We sat on the sand and watched as the Dauntless lowered a dinghy into the water and they slowly rowed to us.

They hit the beach and Norrington stepped out of the boat and strode up the beach to meet us. He looked incredibly relieved to see Elizabeth and not very pleased to see Jack and me.

After giving Elizabeth the prime treatment and escorting her to the dinghy, he turned to me and Jack, giving Jack a dirty look when he noticed the rum he was holding. Obviously he was against drinking. "Rum stays here." He said.

Jack dropped the last of his bottles without a fuss. I gave him a curious look and he patted the small canteen attached to his belt, giving me a knowing grin. Of course, he always has a trick up his sleeve.

We followed Norrington, well, we were actually forced, to the dinghy and we were rowed back to the Dauntless, where we were under constant scrutiny by the soldiers. Honestly, do you really think we're gonna jump overboard and swim back to that island?

"But we've got to save Will!" Elizabeth exclaimed. She and her father had been arguing about this for a while now. Quite entertaining really.

"No. You're safe now. We will return to Port Royal immediately not go gallivanting after pirates!" Governor Swann said, giving Jack a dirty look.

"Then we condemn him to death." Elizabeth stated.

"The boy's fate is regrettable but then so is his decision to engage in piracy."

"To rescue me, to prevent anything from happening to me!"

"If I may be so bold as to interject my professional opinion." Jack interrupted. "The Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle. It's very unlikely she'll be able to make good time. Think about it, the Black Pearl, the last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up?" He obviously had a plan. He would never willingly allow the Black Pearl to be captured by Norrington.

"By remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow, not only myself." Norrington said, all poncy like.

"Commodore, I beg you, please do this. For me…as a wedding gift." Elizabeth said. There was a bit of shock at that. Well, people will do pretty much anything in the name of love. Although, personally, I wouldn't go so far as to marry someone I didn't even like, but hey, this is Elizabeth we're talking about here. She seems pretty crazy when it comes to Will.

"Elizabeth. Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?" Governor Swann sounded surprised.

"I am."

"A wedding! I love weddings…drinks all around!" Jack piped up cheerfully. "I know…clap him in irons, right?" he added, extending his arms dolefully.

"Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with the bearing to Isla de Muerta. You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave'. Do I make myself clear?" Norrington said. 

"Inescapably clear." Jack remarked.

Norrington turned to me. "Samantha. I want you to accompany Elizabeth into her quarters and stay there until we reach Port Royale. Do I make myself clear?"

"I want to stay with Jack." I said firmly, folding my arms defiantly.

"May I remind you that you are a grown woman, not a toddler." Norrington said. "You need to learn respect for your elders."

"Yeah, elder is right. Now if you'll excuse me, mate." I said, pushing past him, making my way up to the helm to where Jack was. Norrington looked a little dumbfounded. Probably not used to people disobeying his orders. Especially a woman. Oh well, there has to be a first for everything.

We were back in the lagoon outside Isla de Muerta within the day and we were standing by the dinghies, getting ready to be lowered into the water. I was having another little confrontation with Norrington.

"You've pushed your luck as it is. You will stay here."

"No way am I missing out on this. 'Sides, don't you need someone to keep an eye on Jack?" 

Jack gave me a sideways look, then cut in. "Look, it'd be far worse not to have her. Let's just get going, savvy?"

We loaded ourselves into boats and we were lowered into the water. I was stuck in the same boat as Norrington. Made it seem…smaller somehow. Actually, being in the same country as Norrington makes it seem smaller. It wasn't so bad though, cause Jack was also there.

"I don't care for the situation. Any attempt to storm the cave could turn to an ambush." Norrington said. Talk about a stick in the mud.

"Not if you're the one doing the ambushing. I go in to convince Barbossa to send his men out in their little boats. You and your mates return to the Dauntless and blast the bejesus outta them with your little cannons, aye?" Jack put his hand on Norrington's shoulder. "What do you have to lose?"

Norrington peeled Jack's hand off his shoulder like it was a piece of garbage. "Nothing I'd lament being rid of."

"Now, to be quite honest with you, there's still a slight risk for those aboard the Dauntless which includes the future Mrs. Commodore." Jack said, which left me wondering what he had in mind.

Norrington didn't reply to that last comment, but I'm sure he was thinking about it. And I'm sure Elizabeth wouldn't like whatever he did.

~~~~~

The end of another chapter.

I had a really mental dream last night. Actually, it was pretty good dream, but it was weird. I was at this party with one of my friends and all of a sudden, Johnny and Orlando were there, and they danced with us. Then I woke up. Bizarre, eh?

~Rhi


	8. Or You Could Surrender

****

Caribbean Crusades

Chapter 8

~~~~~

Hey guys. I hope you all had a merry Christmas or whatever you celebrate. I got a cool new CD Writer so I've been spending my time writing CDs with all my fave songs on them.

Anyways, sorry I've taken so long to get this out…I started a new story and I've been writing that a lot lately. And I've been working…and writing my story while I'm working…not while my boss is there though…heh heh…and visiting all Johnny Depp websites known to man…well yahoo anyways, and seeing if I can make my collection of Johnny pics as big as my collection of Orlando pics…quite fun, really.

Deep Freeze Flareon - Thankies for the plushie…I can't wait to see POTC2! It's gonna be great!

Chavi West-Wind - That was a mental dream if ever a heard one…what would be even more mental, though, is if it happened in real life…now that really would be bizarre… Do you mean when Sam and Jack were on the beach on the island? They didn't do anything…just sleep, they were too drunk for much anyhow.

~~~~~

Jack and I were soon in a little dinghy and he was rowing us towards the caves with a small smirk on his face.

"What's in your head?" I asked.

"You know what it's like to be wanting something that's seemingly impossible, then you know that it's going to happen. Well, let's just say that's what today's like for me. I'm finally getting what I've been wanting for a very long time." Jack said.

Cryptic Jack. "You're getting even with Barbossa?"

Jack didn't answer, instead he kept on smirking that small smirk.

Jack kept on rowing into the cave until we touched the bottom. Then he jumped out and dragged the boat out of the water.

The pirates were all gathered around Barbossa and the chest of gold in the main cave. Will was standing over the chest of gold.

"Begun by blood…" Barbossa started saying.

Jack started walking through the crowd. "Excuse me." He said, pushing through the pirates. I followed in his wake.

"…by blood un–"

"Jack!" Will interrupted. "Sam?"

"S'not possible." Barbossa said, disbelieving.

"Not probable." Jack corrected.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Will asked. No 'hi, how are you', not even a 'get me outta here', just a 'where's Elizabeth'. He's got it bad.

"She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. Sam here's, taggin' along just like she promised. So we're all men of our word really except for Elizabeth, and the lass here, who are, in fact, women." Jack said.

"Shut up! You're next." Barbossa said. "Then your pretty lass." He leaned in to slit Will's throat.

"I'm not anyone's lass." I interrupted, giving Barbossa a defiant look.

He just grinned back at me. I tell you, it's not a very pleasant thing. It kind of makes you all shivery inside, and sends chills up your spine. "A feisty one, I see." He commented. "Well, maybe I won't kill you. I'll keep ye for me crew. I'm sure they'd enjoy your company."

I gave him a disgusted look. "I think not." I said. "I would rather die first."

Barbossa shrugged. "Have it your way, lass." He put the knife up to Will's throat again.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate." Jack said, all calm and collected.

"No, I really think I do."

"Your funeral." Jack said lightly.

Barbossa sighed and rolled his eyes. "Why don't I want to be doing it?"

"Well, because…" Jack started, then pushed a pirate's hand off his shoulder and stepped forward. "…Because the HMS Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore…waiting for you."

There was a bit of a silence at that, then Jack continued. "Just hear me out, mate. You order your men to row out to the Dauntless; they do what they do best. Bob's your Uncle Fanny's your Aunt, there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. 'Course you'll take the grandest as your flagship and who's to argue? But what of the Pearl? Name me Captain, I'll sail under your colors, I'll give you ten percent of me plunder and you get to introduce yourself as…Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?"

Ah, so the plan comes out. Well, half of it anyway. I knew there was no way that Jack would sail under Barbossa's name.

"I s'pose in exchange you want me not to kill the whelp." Barbossa said.

"No, no, not at all by all means, kill the whelp. Just not yet. Wait to lift the curse…until the opportune moment. For instance…" Jack picked some medallions out of the chest. "…After you've killed Norrington's men…every…last…one." He threw all the medallions back in the chest as he spoke, except for one, which he pocketed. Very sneaky, Jack, now what are you going to do with that?

Will obviously saw that as well, and realisation dawned on him. "You've been planning this from the beginning. Ever since you learned my name." He accused.

Jack turned to Will. "Yeah." He said simply.

"I want fifty percent of your plunder." Barbossa demanded.

"Fifteen." Jack countered.

"Forty."

"Twenty-five. And I'll buy you a hat, a really big one…Commodore."

"We have an accord." Barbossa said, and he and Jack shook hands.

"All hands to the boats!" Jack said, but no one moved. "Apologies, you give the orders." He said to Barbossa.

"Gents! Take a walk." Barbossa commanded. The pirates turned and walked away.

"Not to the boats?" Jack said.

After the cave had cleared of pirates, Barbossa ordered a couple of the leftovers to watch me and Will.

I had this rather ugly looking guy guarding me, who kept on looking at me like I was some kind of food.

Jack, being Jack, was going through the treasure. He looked at a rather ugly golden statue, then tossed it over his shoulder and picked up the next piece of treasure.

"I must admit, Jack, I thought I had ye figured. It turns out that you're a hard man to predict." Barbossa commented.

"Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest..."Jack explained. "Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly…" He looked at Will, and then me. "…Stupid." He grabbed a sword off a pirate and tossed it to Will, who grabbed it and twisted around so the pirate guarding Will slashed through his bindings.

I picked up a thick, heavy staff off the ground and whacked it on the head of the pirate guarding me, then I stole his sword while he was dazed, and I held him at sword point. He fell to the ground, but he grabbed a sword from somewhere behind him and leapt to his feet to challenge me. We started fighting. He obviously thought he had the advantage over me, but if truth comes down to truth, I'd say that I'd whip his scrawny arse.

Jack and Barbossa started sword fighting as well. It was rather spectacular to say the least.

"You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters." Barbossa growled.

While I was fighting my guy, who I must say, was pretty easy, I was watching the battle between Jack and Barbossa, and I definitely knew who I was rooting for this time.

"You can't beat me Jack." Barbossa said. In answer to that, Jack impaled his sword through Barbossa's stomach. Barbossa just sighed and pulled the sword out, stabbing his own into Jack.

Jack staggered backwards into the moonlight, and turned into a skeleton. I was rather surprised that he'd resort to turning into the living dead, but I guess that's what he'd been planning. Interesting. 

"That's interesting." Jack commented, flipping the medallion around his fingers. He grinned. "Couldn't resist, mate."

"Yeah! Go Jack!" I cheered, before my attention was brought back to my own battle, as my pirate guy decided to attack me faster and harder than before. I worked my way over to where Will was fighting the other pirate. We worked our way around so that we were back to back.

"Hey, Will. Wanna swap?" I called over to him.

"Okay, go." He said, and we switched places, so that I was fighting his guy and he was fighting mine. Just for some variety, you know?

I turned my attention back to the fight between Barbossa and Jack. "So what now, Jack Sparrow? Will it be it two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgement Day and trumpets sound?"

"Or you could surrender." Jack countered.

"Arr." Barbossa replied. Obviously he hasn't got a very extensive vocabulary.

By this time, I'd easily knocked the sword out of the pirate guy's hand, and I now had him at sword point. He must be pretty dumb. He didn't even take advantage of his living-dead status.

I turned my attention to Will's fight. "I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain." His pirate growled.

"You like pain?" I heard Elizabeth say as she joined the party. The more the merrier, I always say. She knocked the pirate over with a heavy staff. "Try wearing a corset." I rolled my eyes. Come on, she could've thought up a better line than that. She saw Jack as a skeleton fighting Barbossa. "Whose side is Jack on?" she asked.

"At the moment?" Will replied. A very valid statement.

Will, Elizabeth and I worked together and we managed to string the 3 pirates together, using the staff that Elizabeth had first used to hit the pirate, then Will shoved a bomb into the stomach of one of the pirates while he was a skeleton. Then they pushed them into the shade and left them to blow up. It was glorious. Except for the part where the limbs and bones went flying. That was a bit gross.

Will was standing over by the chest that contained all the cursed coins. He grabbed the two medallions that Jack threw to him, and cut his hand so that he bled his father's blood sacrifice.

Barbossa pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Elizabeth. Jack pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Barbossa. I launched myself at Elizabeth, and knocked her to the ground. There was a gunshot. I quickly checked myself over, just to make sure I hadn't been shot. It was then that I noticed Jack's smoking pistol. He'd used his one shot.

"Ten years you carry that pistol and now you waste your shot." Barbossa mocked.

"He didn't waste it." Will corrected, and dropped the blood-smeared medallions into the chest.

Barbossa looked down at his chest and saw the blood spreading quickly from the wound, soaking into his shirt. "I feel…cold." He said, before falling dead on the ground, his green apple rolling out of his hand and into the water.

The curse had been lifted.

~~~~~

That's the end of another chapter…there's only 2 left…

I'll try and get them both out before I go away camping on the 10th January. I just need to write up the last one, and that's all. I wrote it the other day when I was babysitting…I wasn't actually gonna put it in, it's more an epilogue thing than an actual chapter, but it shows what happens to Sam and Jack after the adventure's finished, and I thought you guys might like to know…

See you in the next chapter…

~Rhi


	9. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically

****

Caribbean Crusades

Chapter 9

~~~~~

Alrighty, this is the second to last chapter… I hope you guys all enjoy it.

Padfoots-Pirate - Lol…I totally agree, maybe I should put that into the next chapter…hmmm…

Chavi West-Wind - I didn't actually think about what they would be doing up there. Let's just say that they were…talking about…rum …Jack would like that conversation. Heh heh. I'm 17, I'll be 18 in July…heh heh…I will finally be able to (legally) drink alcohol…yay! (the drinking age in NZ is 18). I had some rum the other day. I wanted to know what it tasted like so I went and asked my mum, who gave me a bit. It has a very strange flavour…but I liked it.

Righto, enough of my babbling, go read the story…

~~~~~

We stood in a stunned silence for a while.

"We should return to the Dauntless." Elizabeth said.

"Your fiancé will be wanting to know you're safe." Will said. Stupid boy. Elizabeth turned and walked slowly out of the cave.

Jack swaggered over to Will, adorned with jewels and a gold crown. "If you were waiting for the opportune moment…that was it." Will looked at me and I nodded in agreement. "Now if you'll be so kind, I'd be much obliged if you'd drop me off my ship."

We made our way back to the boats in silence and Will started rowing us back to the Dauntless.

"Uh, Jack." Elizabeth said hesitantly. "I don't know how to tell you this but…the Black Pearl has gone."

Jack looked up slowly. "Gone?"

"I let the crew out of the brig, but they refused to come with me. They said that it was against the code."

"Aye, I told them to stick to the code." Jack said, more to himself than anyone else.

"I'm sorry, Jack." Elizabeth said.

"They done what's right by them. Can't expect more than that." Jack said, looking down, not much expression in his voice. He sounded resigned. I scooted closer to him so we were touching. I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what. He looked at me and gave me a sad smile.

It took a couple of days to get back to Port Royale. I felt a bit weird being back there after such a long time. Well, it wasn't actually that long a time, but it seemed like it. So much had happened since I left.

As soon as the Dauntless docked, they carted Jack off to the cell again. I felt strangely empty without him around. He'd become such a vibrant presence in my life.

I walked aimlessly around the streets. I didn't want to go home, for obvious reasons. I made my way to Will's place, deciding that I'd stay with him for the time being. He wasn't home, so I just let myself in and decided to wait for him. I sat down in a chair and I almost immediately fell asleep.

I was awoken again by the front door being opened. I rubbed my eyes and turned to see who it was. It was Will.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm not going home." I said. "Besides, I need a plan."

"A plan?"

"To rescue Jack. We can't just let him hang like that. He doesn't deserve it."

"I suppose you're right." Will agreed. "What did you have in mind?"

I pulled Will down on the chair next to me and explained to him what I had in mind. With his help, I could put this plan in motion and rescue Jack.

An hour later, with all the little details sorted out, I got up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Will asked.

"I've just gotta go somewhere. I'll be back soon." I said. Will had said that I could stay at his place tonight, seeing as I didn't want to go back home.

I made my way down the dark alleyways to the back of the jail. I dragged a large rock underneath the window and stood on it on tiptoes so I could see in the window.

"Jack!" I whispered. "Jack, are you in here?"

He came to the window. "What are you doin' here, luv?"

"I just came to tell you not to worry about a thing. Me and Will have it all sorted out. You will not hang tomorrow."

Jack grinned. "Thanks, luv. I'm countin' on you."

I grinned back and motioned for Jack to come closer. I leaned in and gave him a kiss through the bars on the window. "I thought you really needed that." I said, before turning and running back down the alleyways in which I came.

By the time morning came, I was getting more and more nervous. What if I couldn't do it? What if I did something wrong and I couldn't save Jack? What if the whole plan went to hell?

I think Will could tell that I was really worried, even though I tried not to show it. He came and sat next to me on the couch. "Don't worry, Sam. I wouldn't let him hang. We'll try our best to save Jack, alright?"

I nodded.

"Good. Let's go."

We made our way down to the fort, where they would be doing the hanging. Will and I stood to the side of the crowd of people, waiting for the opportune moment, to put it in Jack's words.

Jack was led to the gallows and a rope was put loosely around his neck. I really had to restrain myself not to do anything then.

The official started reading out the list of things Jack had done. "Jack Sparrow, be it known that you have…"

I could see Jack muttering something and I'm sure it was something along the lines of "Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow."

"…for your wilful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature. The most grievous of these to be cited herewith: piracy, smuggling, impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England…"

"Oh, yes." Jack said and grinned at the executioner, who glared back at him. I must remember to ask him about that one.

"…sailing under false colors, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation and general lawlessness. And for these crimes you have been sentenced to be on this day, hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your soul."

This as our cue, Will walked through the crowd towards Governor Swann, Norrington and Elizabeth, I pushed my way through the crowd towards the gallows.

Just as the trapdoor was opened, I threw my sword so that it stuck into the trapdoor, as a foothold for Jack. I leapt up onto the gallows and proceeded to cut through the rope with a dagger, while Will kept the executioner busy.

Jack and Will grabbed the rope and used it to trip the redcoats over, while I ran alongside them with my sword, slashing at anyone trying to attack them from the sides.

We fought our way up to the tower and Jack and Will used the rope to trap a couple of the redcoats against a pillar.

This was where we were surrounded by the redcoats, guns with pointy bayonets on the end pointed at us. Jack blew at the feather in Will's hat, which was waving around in his face. I had to try hard not to laugh at that.

Norrington and Governor Swann joined the group. "I thought we might have to endure some manner of ill conceived escape attempt but not from you." He said to Will. "And you, Samantha. I'm very disappointed in your behavior, as I'm sure your parents are also." Norrington said to me.

"And what makes you think I give a stuff?" I replied, folding my arms across my chest defiantly.

"On our return to Port Royal, I granted you clemency and this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with him? He's a pirate!" Governor Swann said in disgust.

"And a good man." Will added. I noticed Jack point to himself proudly. "If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn two pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear." Nice speech, Will.

"You forget your place, Turner." Norrington said.

"It's right here, between you and Jack." Will replied.

"Too right. Mine too." I said, glaring at Norrington.

Elizabeth joined us also. "As is mine."

"So this is where your heart truly lies, then?" Norrington asked.

"It is."

I noticed Cotton's parrot, and I could see that Jack had noticed it as well. " Well! I'm actually feeling rather good about this. I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically?" he said to Governor Swann, leaning in very close to him. I could almost see him squirm. He turned to Norrington and did the same. "I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that." He turned to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth…it would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry." 

He turned to Will, trying to think of something to say. "Will…nice hat." 

"And yer comin' with me, luv." He grabbed my hand and we made our way towards the edge of the battlement. "Men! This is the day that you will always remember as the day that you–" he was cut off as he tripped over the edge of the battlement, pulling me over with him.

We landed in the water with a big splash and fought our way back to the surface. "Jack, you clumsy idiot." I said, hitting his arm.

He just grinned and kissed me. "I thought that you needed that." He said when he pulled away.

"Yeah, and I think I need another one." I said, leaning in again.

We pulled away after a while and took a breath, before swimming towards the Black Pearl, which was anchored over the other side of the harbour.

A rope was dropped into the water and we grabbed on before being flung through the air, onto the ship.

"I thought you were supposed to keep to the code." Jack said to Gibbs.

"We figured they were more actual…guidelines." Gibbs explained.

Cotton handed Jack his hat back, which he proudly placed on his head.

Anamaria walked up to Jack and put his coat on his shoulders. " Captain Sparrow…the Black Pearl is yours." She said.

"On deck you scabberous dogs! Man the braces!" he yelled to the crew, who all scurried around, trying to look busy. I walked up to the helm and stood next to Jack. "Now...bring me that horizon." He said, with that smile of his. I could tell that he was home again.

He started humming to tune to 'A Pirate's Life for Me'. "And really bad eggs. Drink up, me 'earties yo ho."

~~~~~

This is not the end…there is still one more chapter to go so don't despair…lol…

I will post the last chapter before I go away, so check for it in a couple of days…

Have a good one!

~Rhi 


	10. I heard you, I'm just sorry

****

Caribbean Crusades

Chapter 10

~~~~~

Well here it is guys. The final chapter of Caribbean Crusades. The end of my first POTC fic. Quite sad, really. Just a little note, this chapter involves a bit of fluffiness…heh heh…

Well, for all those wanting to know if there'll be a sequel, I think there might be. I've written the first chapter of it, but it might not turn out to be anything good, so if it isn't, I probably won't post it. I'm actually writing another story at the moment, which I'll post as soon as I'm finished. Should be pretty soon. It's a bit more serious than this one, but it should be good. My second story's always better than my first.

Padfoot's Pirate: Uh, let's put it down to poetic license…heh heh…I defy the laws of physics! Yes, I agree, Streaking!Jack would be very great, unfortunately I can't fit it into this chapter…oh well, I'm sure you'd be able to imagine it right?

Chibi-ami: I loved that long review. Aah, I'm so jealous of you. Why can't I have a 3ft. tall Johnny Depp stand up cut out? *sniff* oh well, I have a good imagination, I can imagine one standing in the corner of my room…heh heh…I haven't seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas yet. I think it's rated R18 here, and I'm not 18 for another 6 months…=(. I don't think my parents would like me getting out something like that anyhow. I think I'll go to my friend's house and her dad will get it for us…heh heh…

Righto, without further ado, onto the last chapter of Caribbean Crusades…

~~~~~

I sate at my favourite place at the bow of the Pearl, legs dangling off the side. The wind was blowing my now matted blonde hair all around. It was pulled off my face with a dark blue bandanna, which Jack had given me just this morning, when he'd officially made me a member of his crew for as long as I cared to stay.

His gesture had shocked me slight, as well as the small ceremony, which was accompanied by a lot of rum drinking. Any excuse to have rum, I s'pose.

But this wasn't the matter at hand, I thought, as I was sprayed with a fine mist of seawater. The matter at hand was this little niggly feeling that had been bothering me for some time now. The feeling that made my stomach flip every time I saw Jack, what made me look around for him every time I entered a room, or stepped out on the deck, and what made me miss him if he wasn't there.

I'd never felt this kind of thing before, but I had an idea of what it was, and it didn't make me feel any better.

I watched the dolphins gracefully swimming alongside the bow of the ship for a moment, before deciding to get back on deck before I was missed.

I needed to talk this over with someone, and I knew just who would be fit for the job.

"Nah-uh. No way. I don't do the girl talk thing." Anamaria said, holding her hands out protectively as she backed away from me after I'd pulled her into an empty cabin.

"Just sit down. It's not going to be that bad." I said, motioning for her to sit on the bed. I sat cross-legged on the other bed, opposite her.

"The only reason I'm asking you this is because I have no one else to turn to. I'm…I'm confused."

Anamaria folded her arms and leaned back against the wall, beginning to look interested in what I had to say.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I wasn't going to beat around the bush. "IthinkI'minlovewithJack." I said, all as one word.

Anamaria raised an eyebrow. "What was that? I didn't catch it."

"I think I'm in love with Jack." I said, slightly slower.

"Sorry, could you say that again?" Anamaria said, a small smirk playing on her face.

I frowned. "Are you going to take me seriously, or what?" I snapped.

Anamaria grinned. "Don't get yer panties in a knot. I heard ye the first time."

"So…"

"So what?"

"So what should I do about it?" I asked, exasperated.

Anamaria pulled her legs up onto the bed, and sat cross-legged, mimicking my position. She leaned forward. "Listen up, girly, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. Jack's a pirate. He only loves three things. The Pearl, the ocean and rum. In that order. He doesn't get attached to things, because in our line of work, they can only be used against you. Now, say, if you did so happen to catch Jack's eye, and he wants more than just a roll in the hay with you, all the more power to you. But I would watch yer back. Jack has…the Pearl has countless enemies that would love to get their hands on ye. And I'll tell ye for free, ye wont' like none of it. I won't go into details, but it usually begins with pleasurin' the crew and usually ends in death." She paused for a second. "Now if I haven't totally put ye off, Jack's at the helm." She gave me a sly grin and motioned towards the door. "Scoot."

I gave her a small, nervous smile and slipped out of the cabin and made my way onto the deck.

I'm going to do this, I told myself, I have to do this.

I saw Jack at the wheel, and my stomach did a little nervous roll. I swallowed and headed out straight across the deck. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I said to myself. Left foot, right foot, left…I can't do this. I swiveled around on the spot and started walking back in the direction I came from.

"Sam! Hey Sam!" I heard Jack call.

I made a slight grimace and turned around, putting on a large fake smile as I did so.

Jack turned the wheel over to Gibbs and walked down onto the deck with me.

"I need to talk to you." We both said at the same time.

We laughed, and that eased some of the tension building up in me.

"You first." Jack said.

"Can we, uh, go somewhere else?" I asked, motioning towards his cabin.

He nodded and led the way, opening the door to the cabin for me, and closing it behind him.

"You might need to sit down for this." I said, wringing my hands nervously.

Jack shrugged and sat down on the bed and looked up at me expectantly.

"Jack," I began.

"Mmm?"

"Jack…I…I love you." I blurted out.

"Sorry?"

"I love you." I repeated.

"No, I heard you, I'm just sorry." Jack grinned.

"Jack, be serious. I know this is unexpected, and I didn't realise until this morning, but it's true." I said, really fast.

Jack stood up and grabbed my hands, holding them in his large ones, which calmed me down slightly.

"I'll let you into a little secret. I was going to tell you the same thing." He whispered, moving closer and closer to me, so that our noses were touching.

He then captured my mouth with his own, giving me a passionate kiss, touching my tongue lightly with his. Passion burned low in my stomach as I ran my hands through his hair…well halfway through his hair, as they got caught in the matted bits.

We separated after what seemed like ages, but we still stood as close together as we could. I took a deep breath. I felt like I'd been entrusted to taking care of something of great value.

Jack sat down on the bed and pulled me down next to him.

"Why?" he asked, his voice all husky. "Why did you choose me? I can't give you the life you deserve. I don't want you to throw it all away just for me."

Captain Jack Sparrow, ego the size of all seven seas put together, requiring an ego-boost? Almost unheard of, but I'll oblige anyhow.

"Jack." I picked his hand up and laced his finger with mine and placed it on my lap. "I chose you. Only you. I don't' care what kind of life you give me, so long as you're a part of it. And the way I look at it, I'm not throwing away anything. I'm gaining freedom…love…and you." I said, kissing him between each of the last three words.

I could feel him grin. "Just so long as we're on the same page." He said, before laying me down on the bed and proceeding to work his magic.

~~~~~

Well guys, that's it…the very end of the very last chapter of my very first POTC story. I want to thank all of those who reviewed my story and all of those who didn't, but read it anyhow. And I especially want to thank those who stuck with me when it was deleted. I don't know why that happened.

Well, I'm off camping now…it's going to be fun! I will probably get a lot of writing done while I'm away and I'll post my new story when I get back, so watch out for it.

And so this is my final goodbye for this story…

~Rhi


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